The demarcation of the Ethiopia-Sudan border will not displace anybody on either side, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zewani told parliament on Wednesday.

He said Sudan and Ethiopia have agreed that the border demarcation, to start in the near future, will not displace any individuals from the land they occupy.

“We, Ethiopia and Sudan, have signed an agreement not to displace any single individual from both sides to whom the demarcation benefits,” he said.

The border between Ethiopia and Sudan dates back to 1907 when Sudan was under British colonial rule.

The two countries have so far been unable to physically identify their borders.

Recent reports said that Ethiopian farmers were displaced by Sudanese troops at two border areas but Meles told the parliament that this was land that was occupied by Ethiopia in 1996, which was given to two investors by the Ethiopian government, and Sudan complained about it.

“We have given back this land, which was occupied in 1996. This land before 1996 belonged to Sudanese farmers. There is no single individual displaced at the border as it is being reported by some media,” Meles said.